not so bad after all
by sleepless-royalty
Summary: {formerly "Percy Freaking Jackson"} "Hi, I'm Percy," he offered me a small smile and his hand./Percy goes back to Goode post-Giant War and has to deal with all of the mourning and flashbacks that comes with it. Told through a mortal's perspective. Now a one-shot.


**Chapter 1**

 **I Befriend Percy Freaking Jackson**

I bit my lip as all chatter stopped when _Percy freaking Jackson_ walked into the Goode High's cafeteria.

Damn, he had gotten hot over the past few months, but I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to even try to make a move on him. He had been pretty intimidating, maybe even a bit depressed, back when he was a freshman. Now, as a junior (he had been missing for like eight months, hadn't he?), he looked downright scary. Maybe even more depressed than the last time we saw him.

"What are you staring at?" Percy snapped.

Everyone, including me, flinched and shrunk away from his glare. It wasn't even a glare really, though. It was more like a confused glance, but his eyes were very expressive. As if he was having an inner turmoil while still living his life.

Chatter and shouting resumed, albeit more reluctantly, after that. Through my peripheral vision, however, I watched as Percy practically glided over to the lunch line. Those surrounding him fidgeted nervously as he lazily eyed every nook and cranny in this freaking place, no doubt figuring out everyone's life story and home life.

When he reached the front, he smiled. _Freaking smiled_.

"Hi, Gail," he greeted the-lunch-lady-that-I-didn't-even-know-the-name-of kindly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"What happened to you, boy?" 'Gail' (apparently) asked, chuckling, in her thick accent from I-don't-know-where. "I still make cookies for you. When you no come, I feed them to my granddaughter."

"How is Paige, anyway?" Percy skillfully changed the subject.

"Lovely," Gail replied, her chubby face forming a smile. "She's becoming more and more beautiful as she grows up. Also, you need not have given us an anonymous gift basket while you were away."

"I felt bad that I was away so long," Percy said, a reminiscent glint in his eyes. "I had amnesia. But as soon as I had the time after I remembered, I sent that to you. I don't want to hold up the line though. So can I please have my food?"

Gail chuckled. "Your mother raised you right."

She placed some blue (?) food onto his tray. "On the house. For the gift basket."

Percy's eyebrows disappeared underneath his hairline. Without a word, he slipped away. But that didn't stop me from noticing the crisp, ten-dollar bill he had left behind.

He was just about to leave the cafeteria (no doubt to eat outside. Alone.) when I decided to be crazy.

"Hey!" I called. "Come. Sit."

The whole 11th grade seemed to be holding their breaths. Was this girl crazy, or what? I'm starting to think that I'm crazy.

He gave me a confused look before pulling out the seat right across from me (the scraping sound sounding like a flock of eagles screeching) and propping himself right on the edge of it.

He was just about to open his mouth when he realized that the entire grade was holding their breaths and staring at us.

"Can you _please_ ," he emphasized the word ' _please_ '. "Mind your own business?"

The whole school seemed to jump as the students (and even some teachers) clambered to turn around and get back to whatever crap they were doing before.

"Hi, I'm Percy," he offered me a small smile and his hand. I took it hesitantly.

"I knew that," I replied. I felt my face warm when I realized how stalker-ish that sounded. "Not that I'm a stalker or anything like that. It's just-I-You-" I sighed. "Everyone knows who you are."

Percy's lips quirked up into a half-hearted grin. "Really now?"

"It's j-just," I stuttered. "You're pretty in-fri-scary." I finished lamely. I was trying to say something like 'intimidating' or 'frightening', but, _damn_ , he's scary.

"Seriously?" Percy looked truly shocked at this. "Really? Just-wow. That's the only word I have for that."

"What do you mean?" I mumbled, staring at my tray and picking at it with my fork.

Percy shrugged. "Most people would say that my girlfriend is scary, not me. Heck, even one my friends thought that I was pretty average compared to her boyfriend until she got to know me better. I guess I'm not really used to having people deem me as 'scary' at first glance."

"You have friends?" I blurted out, not able to keep the laced-in disbelief out of my words.

"Yeah," Percy said as though he were used to this question. "That's generally the reaction I get."

"Sorry 'bout that," I muttered.

"'S fine," Percy shrugged, smiling. "Now, I'm guessing you want to ask about the color of my food?"

"Are you psychic?" I joked, feeling somewhat at ease now that I found out he doesn't glare and beat up people (not that he has already, as far as I know) all of the time.

"Nah, just observant," he said, propping his feet up on the table. "I saw you looking at my food and eavesdropping. You're not exactly subtle, you know."

I giggled a bit nervously.

"Anyways," he continued. "The secret for as to why my food is blue is exactly that. A secret."

"Oh," I murmured. "Also," I said louder. "Get your feet off the table! We eat on this thing."

Percy laughed. It was nice, and very contagious. He had a nice, clear laugh that somhow made him seem less soldier-y and more teenager-y.

When the bell rang, I felt a bit upset. Not because I had Math the next period (even though I hate math with a burning passion that school served to do anything but extinguish) but because Percy was nice. And funny. And sweet and selfless and compassionate and pretty much every girl's dream guy. But we didn't give him a chance to show it.

Percy and I both stood up at the same time to throw away our plates.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, new friend," he said before he tripped on a passerby's foot causing his tray to fly through the air, only to land exactly where he wanted it to: in the trash can.

I laughed.

"Hey," he said suddenly. "I just realized that I don't know your name."

I paused, suddenly realizing the same thing. "Oh. Well. My name is Laura. Laura Cassidy."

* * *

 **UPDATE: 9/14/2015 Okay, guys, I'm seriously sorry for this but I'm making this a one-shot. Good news is, I have an idea for a sequel that I just didn't think would fit in as a second chapter. Think of this fic as a prequel or something. I also really want to thank all of the good feedback I got from everyone who reviewed. Thank y'all so much!**

 **Kisses,**

 **-A**

 **Just kidding,**

 **~Miyako**


End file.
